BALANCE AND HARMONY
by yamimakai3
Summary: A young Kung Fu master, Hao; receive an invitation to practice Kung Fu with Shifu and Po at the Jade Palace but as time goes, Hao starts to feel something for his master; something that confuses him at the begining because he's his same gender. How will Shifu react when the young fox admits his feelings for him?
1. The young protector

BALANCE AND HARMONY

THE VILLAGE'S PROTECTOR

Three months passed since Po and the Furious Five saved China from Shen and his cannons, the legend of the Dragon Warrior is now known by everyone in China and everything is in peace.

Valley of the Blue Lotus

"BANDITS! CATCH THEM!"

This was the fourth time in the month that crocodiles came to the village, they were having a hard season; the only kung fu master in the region was Hao, a young fox; son the rulers of the valley, unfortunately they passed away after some bandits set them a trap years ago.

The crocodile bandits thought they were safe and decided to check their bags filled with the bounty of the day.

"Is that all? Silk robes?"

"What are you complaining about? We stole the same store… again!"

They were arguing and having a fight, guessing that no one would hear them

"Seriously, you need a better hideout" a young voice spoke

"Well, well, well; it's the kid fox"

"How many times do I have to say it: it's Hao, and I'll take back all what you stole"

"Are you serious? You're only one and we're five"

"Sounds fair to me" Hao said

"If you say so…" the bandits ran straight to him and started a fight that took only a few seconds

"Ok, ok; you win! We won't do it again! Promise!"

Hao smiled and saw how they ran away, he took the bag and gave back the stolen items.

"Are you ok, honey?"

It was Mrs. Yae, an old goat that moved to the palace two weeks ago

"Don't worry Mrs. Yae, those crocodiles are nothing than silly bandits" She kindly smiled to him and kissed his paw

"You're doing so much for us: saving us from bandits and donating your family's palace to the valley as an orphanage and hospital"

Hao blushed "Please Mrs. Yao; I'm just doing what my parents would do for our beloved village"

The old goats kissed his paw and thank him again by his kindness

"Well" he said "It's getting late" then he stretched "good night Mrs. Yae, good night kids"

All the kids said good night to him too, he started to walk outside the palace to his house, a small farm near the family's palace. He dreamed with being a real Kung Fu master, the only training her had was informal and needed to be perfected. Hao fell fast asleep, without knowing that his dream was about to become true


	2. The invitation

BALANCE AND HARMONY

THE INVITATION

The next morning was just like any other morning, he had a small breakfast before starting his training and after that, he went to what was now the orphanage and hospital to help some of the residents.

As soon as he entered, the kids ran and jumped to his arms, everyone there; especially the kids loved his kindness.

"Good morning, sweetie"

"Good morning, Mrs. Yae; how are you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine; my back hurts a bit but its normal considering that I'm a 80 years old goat"

She kindly smiled to Hao, who gave her a back massage

"Is it better?" Mrs. Yao giggled "Better than ever, by the way; this letter is for you" She gave the letter to him

"What is it? He asked "Oh, it's a surprise"

Hao sat next to her and started to read the letter, when he finished; a smile drawn on his face

"An invitation to start my training at the Jade Palace! But… how?"

Mrs. Yae giggled again "I did it; I sent the letter to them and told everything you have done for us, you sacrificed so much to keep the kids safe and healthy; not to mention that thanks to you, those bandits are gone forever"

The young fox hugged her with a smile on his face

"I always dreamed with training with the Furious Five! Thank you so much Mrs. Yae"

"Ow!" she said "I'm so sorry" he said, feeling embarrassed

"Don't worry sweetie, in fact… my back feel better!" she said at the same time that gave a jump and landed on Hao's arms. They stared to each other for some seconds and started to giggle, one second later both laughed.

Po, the Dragon Warrior would pick him up that day but it would take some hours before his arrival, giving Hao enough time to prepare everything he would need during the time he would stay in the Jade Palace but also enough to prepare the banquet dedicated to the Dragon Warrior.

The hours passed fast and he finally arrived, Hao was impressed by the warrior's size, everyone was.

"Hi, I'm Po and came to meet Hao"

Hao felt a bit shy and gave a nervous step forwards

"I… I'm Hao, I'm honored to meet you; Dragon Warrior"

"I'm honored too, but please; call me Po" his smile showed so much kindness that made Hao feel more relaxed.

"We have a banquet for you, honorable Dragon Warrior" Mrs. Yae spoke

"A banquet? For me? AWESOME!"

He followed them into the palace 's interior where he got impressed to see so many kids running around, some of them were using crutches to walk and others were just sitting. Hao explained Po the reason, he listening while eating lots and lots of dumplings; the Warrior was very impressed and full of food, not only because Hao learned Kung Fu by his own, but also because everything he has been doing to help others.

Once the banquet finished, Po thanked Mrs. Yae and told Hao that it was time to leave "Can we take some more dumplings for the trip?" Mrs. Yae smile and giggled "Of course, darling"

Both walked for some time until they reached the valley's exit where Hao suddenly stopped and stared at Po.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, is just…" he looked back "If I give another step, I'll be the far I've been from home" said at the same time he looked down.

Hao felt Po's paw on his shoulder and when he looked up, he saw even more kindness on Po's eyes

"Don't worry, we're all nervous when we do something the very first time" He rose Hao and carried him on his shoulders part of the trip.

"You know, I felt the same way when I started my training"

"Really? But you're the Dragon Warrior; you can't feel fear of anything"

"It can be but even heroes can feel fear sometimes…"

They were talking for a long time until night came

"Let's rest here, we'll be at the Valley of Peace by tomorrow morning" Po started a bonfire and gave some dumplings to Hao. "Wow, I haven't seen so many stars!"

"I know, it's great" Po noticed that Hao felt a bit sad by leaving his home, so he decided something different.

"So, I've heard that you fought alone against bandits"

"Uh-huh"

"Tell me, how was it?" The panda was excited to hear the story; so, the young fox started to tell him the story. They arrived at the Valley of Peace earlier.

"Well, here I go"

"No, here we go" Po carried him on his shoulders again "We're doing this together"

"Thanks Po" he said and gave him a kiss on his head while they were walking to the village and inside his heart, Hao didn't felt nervous anymore; not as long as Po was at his side


	3. New training

BALANCE AND HARMONY

NEW TRAINING

Po and Hao were received by Master Shifu, who introduced himself to Hao

"Welcome to the Jade Palace, young fox; I'm Master Shifu and I'll be in charge of your training"

"It's an honor, master"

"I'll be honored to be trained by the greatest Kung Fu master of all China"

Shifu guided Hao and Po inside the training room, the young fox was amazed by all the training tools they had there "first of all, I'd like to see how good you are; start when you're ready"

"Master Shifu, aren´t you asking too much? I mean, sure he's good but…"

"It's ok Po, I can do it"

Shifu nodded and saw how easily Hao passed the training course but the last part was hard for him, avoiding the flames that came out from the floor. One of the flames came out from one of the bamboo pipes beneath him and burned his foot but pretended it didn't happened, Hao really wanted to impress Shifu.

"You did well, fox; that's all for now. Po will show you your room; come to see me once you feel comfortable"

Hao bowed as sign of respect and followed Po to his new room which was next to Shifu's. Once they were there, Hao started to feel the pain when he sat on the bed.

"Are you ok?" he asked

"Yes, just a little tired" Hao replied at the same time he tried to hide his foot but PO noticed it immediately.

"Hao… your foot!"

"It's ok, it doesn't look as bad as you think" He smiled

Po checked Hao's burn, it was serious; he took some medical herbs from Crane's room and placed them on his sole, this made him give a small jump.

"Sorry, does it hurt?"

"No, is just that it feels a bit cold and made me tickles"

"You better get used to it; sometimes Shifu's training can be hard or painful… or hard and painful"

"Thanks Po, I feel better now"

Po covered Hao's foot with a bandage that was the same color of his fur, so Shifu won't notice it, his new master was already waiting for him at the training room's entrance where he showed him what he learned by his own. The Furious Five were on a mission, so they would be back in three or four days; which mean that there was only him, Po and Shifu in the palace.

The day ended fast, Hao was tired but happy at the same time because is dream of training on the Jade Palace became true. He carefully took off the bandage of his foot, it didn't hurt anymore but the burned fur made it obvious; so he gave it a rub at the same time he picked up his backpack and noticed that there was a letter at the bottom; it was from Mrs. Yae.

"Dear Hao, you're now far from your home and might feel homesick"

"You guessed right" he thought and continued reading the letter

"There's no need to feel like that, everyone misses you and asks when you will be back; follow your dream, it will be hard at the beginning but I'm sure you will become one of the greatest Kung Fu Masters in the world"

Hao couldn't help it but feel teary with the last line of the letter.

"Your parents would be proud of you"

He read the letter three more times before falling asleep, dreaming with being part of the Furious Five and his new best friend Po.


	4. At the Pool

BALANCE AND HARMONY

AT THE POOL

Hao's training officially started, during the first hours of the day he ran all the way the long upstairs than leaded to the village and ran back to the palace using the same stairs. Next; he tried to follow Shifu's rhythm while practicing Tai Chi.

"You're doing well, young fox" Shifu said, Hao was tired; that day's lesson was hard and he barely could breath

"Thank you, master Shifu"

"It seems you need a break, we will continue tomorrow; but before you leave to your room..." he knelt and told Hao to sit

"Show me your foot"

"Master?"

"You can't fool me, it's more than obvious that you're injured, let me see your foot"

Hao obeyed and allowed him to take a look

"Well, is not too serious; and you won't give your best if you're like that; the lessons will continue until you're completely healed, which means that we'll resume in two days"

The rest of the day Hao spent it on the thermal pool where Po and the furious five used to take a break and relax their sore muscles. He was so relaxed that didn't heard when the door opened but did hear footsteps, it was Po, he used the chance to relax too

"Oh! I... I'm sorry, I didn't knew you was here"

Po looked away and Hao did the same, there was a nude panda in front of him "If you want I can leave, so you can take a bath" said a very blushed Hao

"No, it's ok; I can take it when you finish"

Both were silent for some seconds, the young fox spoke

"The pool is big and it wouldn't be fair if just one person uses it at the time, we can share it; if you want" Po accepted the invitation and entered into the warm pool and sat at his side

"How was your training?"

Hao blushed "it went fine, Shifu noticed my foot and told me to wait until it heals"

"I see"

"Can you keep a secret?" Po nodded

"I got burned because... well... fire scares me, that's why I got paralyzed"

"Really? But what about the bonfire when we camped?"

"I imagined I was somewhere else, my parents died on a fire when bandits set up a trap for them, I survived but since then... let's just say that I can't help it but panic when I see fire" Po grabbed Hao's foot and started to make him some tickles, then he put his paw on Hao's shoulder "even heroes feel fear, remember? To be honest there's an old goat in town that freaks me out? Then he shivers, making Hao giggle

"It's not a joke, she's kinda creepy"

"Could you wash my back?" Hao blushed

"Of course, can you wash mine?" Po added

Po started to wash Hao's back and continued telling him about the goat that used to cause him shivers

"Well, I guess it's my turn to wash your back"

It took him a little time to wash the big panda's back but still, both enjoyed it. Soon, they got used to each other's company; which also meant that they didn't felt embarrassed or ashamed to be naked in the same pool. There were even a couple of times when Po raised Hao in the air and catches him on his arms.

"You know? I feel better, I trust you Po; I know we met only a few hours but… there's something on you that makes me feel that I can tell you anything"

"Me too, it's like if we were connected"

Both shared a good time at the thermal pool but it was getting a bit late. They decided to have something to eat, so it was time to get out, Hao was the first on getting out of the pool and didn't bothered that Po saw him nude, the same was for Hao.

Both got dressed and went to the kitchen were Shifu was having dinner

"Good night Master Shifu"

"Good night young fox, I see your body is in good conditions now"

"More than ever I'd say"

Po said at the same time he pushed him on a playful way, they had a good diner and talked a bit more before. "Well; it's time to sleep, Po; tomorrow starts the Festival and I'd like to be the first ones on the line to enter". Shifu was excited, the last time he went; he was afraid that Po would think that he was a nerd but thing went good at the end.

Hao was interested on knowing what that festival was about; Po explained to him that it was one of the most awesome events in the valley and everyone would be there to find out what was new on action figures and recreations of famous battles; this made Hao feel excited to.

"Since you are new in the valley, you might want to come too" Shifu added

"I'd like to, Master Shifu"

"Ok then, let's go to sleep; we have a great day tomorrow"

Hao stayed awake a couple of minutes more and in silence, he took an action figure he brought from home and smiled before putting it back inside his back pack.


	5. The festival

BALANCE AND HARMONY

THE FESTIVAL

Po entered into Hao's room quietly, Hao was still sleeping but if they wanted to be the first in line; they would need to be there earlier "Wake up sleepy head... we will be late"

"What time is it?" Said Hao while giving a yawn

"It's time for the festival"

"The Festival!" He forgot it; it was the first time he'd assist, so he got up fast and got dressed.

"Just a minute, I forgot something" he said went fast to his room; next to bed was his backpack; Hao took something that looked like a wooden box and ran as fast as he could to reach Po and Shifu but his foot was still hurt.

"Ok, I'm ready"

Once there, they were the first ones to enter "What's inside the box?" Po asked Hao

"It's a secret, I'll show you later"

Po, Shifu and Hao passed next to the scenario where a couple of kids were playing the battle between Po and Tai Lung. It was very entertaining; especially for Hao, who enjoyed it. After the show it started the part that Po loved so much: The action Figures display. Most of them were about the Furious Five and some villains. After an hour of seeing all the figures, they sat under a tree. After hear Po saying "please" several times, Hao decided to show them what was inside.

"It's Master Shifu!"

Even Shifu was impressed; the details made it look real. "I never imagined I'd see an action figure with my image, where did you get it?" Shifu was curious and amazed at the same time.

"I made it myself" Hao said in a shy voice

"Wow! It's awesome! Maybe you could make one for me!"

Then, some of the fans of the festival saw the incredible figure at Hao's hands. "Look! He has a Master Shifu's action figure!" Everyone ran straight to him and asked if he would like to trade it but he kindly said no to them, they were so insistent about it that started to push each other.

"Please, I know you're excited but I'd never give it; it's very special for me"

But it seemed that they wouldn't stop "Ok, it's time to get out of here" Po said and Shifu agreed. "Hey! Look! Isn't he the master Flying Rhino?" It worked; everybody looked back; giving them the chance to escape. Finally they arrived to Mr. Ping's restaurant where Po's father served them a delicious noddle's soup.

"Well, despite those crazy fans, I'd say that it was an awesome festival"

"Sure it was; every festival is this interesting?"

"Only when Po is on it"

Po left the table for a moment to help his father in the kitchen, giving Shifu and Hao the chance to get to know each other a bit more. Shifu asked Hao about the figure.

"Most of the kids at home have nothing and, well; I became good making toys for them"

"It's amazing, not only you're good at Kung Fu but also a generous heart" Hao blushed a lot and tried to hide it; Shifu was his hero of all times and being in the same table with him made him feel quite strange but it was a good feeling. The night came and Po was already sleeping in his room, except for Hao that was only lying on his bed, Shifu was meditating when someone knocked at his door, when he opened no one was there and in the floor and front of him was the Master Shifu action figure with a note from Hao that said

"I said that I wouldn't give it but I won't need a figure of my hero now that I have him next to my door" Shifu took the gift and kindly smiled "Hao, you can show yourself; I know you're there"

"Oh... I..." Hao thought he would be in problems and closed his eyes thinking that Shifu would scold him by interrupting.

"Would you like to enter?" his master had a kind smile on his face while moving next to his door and waiting for him to enter. The young fox walked, feeling nervous an entered into the room "Thank you, Master" Hao was always formal since the very first time he put a foot on the Jade Palace.

"Call me Shifu" this made Hao feel more comfortable and even more when Shifu invited him a cup of tea.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me? This action figure means a lot to you"

"Yes, also it's true what I wrote in the note; you're my hero and always wanted to meet you" He felt embarrassed, which was probably not the best way to talk to a Master. Shifu realized that Hao blushed again, the young fox definitely had a kind and innocent heart; Hao was curious about something and accidentally asked

"Excuse me Shifu, what happened to your leg?"

"It's an old injury, something that happened long time ago" He told him the story of Tai Lung and how everything changed for him since then, thinking that hiding his feelings was the best way to keep him safe from any other deception.

When Shifu finished, Hao put his cup of tea on the table and sat in front of him. "I... there's something I can do to help your leg... I mean, if I have your permission"

"What is it?"

"It's something I used to do to help some of the guests at home" Hao took Shifu's leg and took off his shoe and started to press certain areas of his sole

"What are you doing?" Shifu asked

"It's called Reflexology, when some parts of the foot are pressed, other parts of the body will feel better" This made Shifu feel relaxed and laid back while Hao continued to rub his foot. "I'm done" he said while giving a small kiss to his foot. Shifu rose and started to walk, he couldn't believe it! His leg was completely healed!

"It's amazing! It seems that you have some hidden talents" Shifu said, feeling better than ever "But... why the kiss on my foot?"

"Um..."

He waited for an answer but instead of asking again, he thanked Hao "We better get some sleep, your training continues tomorrow"

"Yes, Master... I mean, Shifu" his master giggled a bit "Good night, Hao" He finished with a kind look that made Hao feel something for his master. Once on his room, Hao sat on his bed, thinking about this feeling that started to grow on his heart; it was a strange feeling but at the same time something strong, Hao finally fell asleep while hugging his pillow meanwhile Shifu stared at the special gift that the young fox gave to him, instead of placing it with his favorite action figure, he put it next to his bed where he could see it every day.


	6. Just curious

BALANCE AND HARMONY

JUST CURIOUS…

Once Hao's foot healed, it was time to get back to his training, this time he'd have a fighting training; first with Po and next with Shifu "Aha! You can't touch me!" Po was evading every punch and kick from Hao

The rule was simple: he only needed to touch at least once Po to succeed but was getting out of time "Ten minutes more Hao, you can do it; just concentrate"

It was easy to say but difficult to do, especially if Po distracted him the whole time. The young fox tripped and fell at Shifu's feet and when he saw how frustrated Hao was, decided to give him a little help when Po wasn't looking "attack his legs or hip" he muttered, finally; Hao managed to punch Po on his belly "I'm sorry Po, are you ok?"

The panda rubbed his stomach 'Don't worry, I'm fine; you would need more than this to hurt me"

"True, panda; he's invulnerable thanks to his... fur" Shifu said to Hao at the same time that winked and pointed to Po's belly; the young fox couldn't help it but giggle

"It's my turn now, Hao; are you ready?"

"Yes, Master Shifu; I am" Hao, attacked first and his attempts to catch Shifu failed every time. "Focus, Hao; focus. You need to concentrate more" Po was supporting him and cheering him up. It seemed that was something impossible and again, he was getting out of time.

And just a few seconds before time ends, Hao managed to launch a kick that made Shifu trip and fell. The fox was exhausted, he imagined that his training would be hard but not this hard.

"You, re learning well Hao, at this rhythm you will become a Kung Fu master"

"Thank you, master" he said while bowing

"You can leave now, you deserve a good rest" with those words, Shifu left walking and this caught Po's attention; his master was walking normally!

"Shifu looks kinda different today, isn't?"

"Oh, I fixed his leg last night"

"Awesome! Maybe you could fix my belly, the punch you gave me hurts a bit" he said while rubbing his stomach

"Ok, I will; but first... what about a race to the thermal pool?"

Hao started to run with Po behind him and soon, the panda passed next to him and reached the pool's door first "I WON!"

"I let you win..." Hao smiled

"Sure" Po smiled too and opened the door to let him enter first. Once inside, both got undressed.

"This is so relaxing" Po said

"Sure it is" Hao sat at his side and started to wash his shoulders "Would you mind?" The panda asked while holding a rag, the fox took it and washed Po's back.

Then he moved and sat in front of Po "Ok, Po; time to rub that cute tummy of yours" this time Po blushed when Hao rose and started to rub his friend's belly.

"Um… Po?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering... does Shifu come here too?" Hao blushed a bit

"Mm, no... He has his own pool, why do you ask?"

"Oh..." he said feeling a bit disappointed "just curious"

When he noticed that Po was curious about his question, he jumped to his belly and started to make him tickles.

"Please, stop! My stomach is ticklish!" Po laughed aloud but since they were the only ones there, they didn't mind having some fun.

When Hao finished rubbing Po's belly, the panda raised him and let him lay face down on his stomach "so soft" said the fox, hugging his wide belly; the panda stared at him and blushed "Really?" Hao nodded and kissed his stomach, when he did that; Po hugged him back "Well, you have a fuzzy tail" he said when carefully pulled Hao's tail. Both were sharing a good time together.

When they finally got outside the pool, they were smiling while holding each other's paw "Thanks Hao"

"What for?"

"By rubbing my belly, silly fox"

"You're welcome, Po"

"Say, would you like something to eat? I can prepare us a noddle soup"

"That would be great... um, Po?" Hao asked, feeling a bit nervous "what is it?"

"Nothing... it can wait" Both entered into the kitchen, this time Shifu wasn't there; so only they ate "What's what you wanted to tell me earlier?"

Hao was embarrassed "I... um... There's someone I like but..." Po interrupted "Who?" The young fox looked away, to Shifu's room "Never mind... Hey! This soup is delicious" he said while smiling

"I know, it's my father's recipe" when he was about to ask again, Shifu entered into the kitchen "Is that your father's noddle soup?"

Hao rose fast and served some of the soup to him "Thanks Hao, you're very kind"

"You're welcome" he smiled.

"I have great news, the Furious Five fished their mission and will be back tomorrow by night, it would be good if you meet them"

"I'll be honored to meet the Furious Five"

"Good, let's finish eating Po's soup; there's a last lesson for you tonight" Once they finished, Hao followed Shifu to his room where they sat and he gave him a couple of scrolls "Study both scrolls, then you can sleep"

Hao bowed and sat next to his master and started to read; during his reading he saw the Shifu's action figure next to his bed and a big smile emerged on his face, this motivated him even though feeling tired "Well, there might be a chance after all..." he thought before continue reading again.

As time passed Hao started to feel drowsy but continued until his eyes finally closed and leaned on Shifu "Maybe I asked too much" he said in a soft voice while holding Hao and putting him on his bed, he preferred to let Hao sleep on his bed than taking him to his own room. For one second, Shifu thought on sleeping on Hao's room but when he saw how peaceful he looked; decided that it wouldn't mind sharing his bed with him. The young fox had an eye wide open and smiled when saw Shifu in the same bed with him, so he pretended he was deep sleep and hugged Shifu, who did the same.


	7. The confession

BALANCE AND HARMONY

THE CONFESSION

The next morning Hao woke up and Shifu wasn't there, he also noticed that both scrolls wasn't there, so he thought that maybe he woke up earlier and put them were they belonged. He carefully left Shifu's room and headed to see if Po was awake but he wasn't there "Where are they?" He thought when suddenly had the feeling that probably they would be in the kitchen. He only found his master there, drinking tea.

"Good morning Hao, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I'd like to thank you by allowing me to sleep in your bed" Hao bowed.

"I've been thinking... you did very well in your training yesterday; also overcome my expectations, you're free from your training today; in fact, I have something special for you"

Hao frowned "what is it?"

"Follow me, young student" Hao followed Shifu outside the Jade Palace to the Peach Tree.

"Wow, I've ever seen or imagined a place like this"

"This is the place where I come to meditate" when the young fox gave it a look, there was some food under the tree "You and I will have a lunch together; I'd like to know you a bit more"

"But, what about Po?"

"Don't worry about him... I make sure he won't eat all our food"

"What I meant was..."

"I know what you mean; he's off on a mission"

Hao followed Shifu and sat under the Peach Tree, it was a perfect time to get to know Shifu. Hao loved being there and alone with him; a couple of times thought about telling him how he felt but preferred not to do it.

Once they finished, just relaxed and enjoyed the view: the clouds moving slowly, birds singing above them and the wind through the leaves "It's good to share some time far from the training and meditation" Shifu said "I used to come here and meditate with my master"

Hao seemed to be interested "Master Oogway... how was he?" Shifu noticed that he really wanted to know

"He was wise, kind and peaceful, but above all; a true Kung Fu master, before he died; he commended me the Jade Palace, including future kung fu masters that would like to train here"

The young fox felt a bit sad, the way Shifu talked about his master made him remember his parents "mom and dad were like Master Oogway; they used to tell me that harmony and balance is all we need to help others and make sure they have a good life"

Shifu stared at Hao "They were right, even though the path is hard it can be achieved" this gave Hao too much to think and Shifu noticed it, so he change the subject

"You made a great job healing my leg and I was wondering if you could give me another massage like the last one"

Hao smiled "I'd be honored to give a Kung Fu master a massage" in secret he always wanted to do it and keep it that way because he knew that if he said it, then he might be seen as dumb. So Shifu leaned back and saw how the young fox took off his shoes and started to rub his toes before the soles. A very relaxed Shifu enjoyed the attention that his feet were having.

When Hao finished, both headed back to the Jade Palace, Hao was leaving to his room when Shifu suddenly spoke "I've heard that the thermal pool changed a lot since the last time I went when I was young, would you like to go with me?"

He was so happy! He finally would have a chance to get in the pool with his hero! "Su... sure, I'd be glad to go with you" Po's mission probably would take some hours and this was the perfect time to be alone with Shifu, this made him feel happy.

When they were inside, Shifu started to take off his clothes and entered into the water, and then Hao did the same; with his face red of the impression of seeing his master nude. Fortunately for him, his fur hides it pretty well. Shifu turned back to see where Hao was and saw him standing in front of him and holding his tail, trying to hide part of his body.

"There's no need to be shy, you don't have nothing I've seen before" but Hao was a bit nervous.

"You've been here with Po before and saw him nude; it shouldn't be a problem for you"

He was right but it was hard for Hao, especially because he had feelings for Shifu; his master noticed that he blushed, so he got outside the pool, so the young fox would see that there wasn't any reason to feel shy.

He took his student's paws and guide him to the warm water where he sat next to him. Soon, Hao started to feel relaxed because it was like being with Po. "You're right, there's no reason to feel ashamed" he said while grabbed a rag and started to wash his body "Can... can I wash your back?" Hao asked

"I'd love that" Shifu said and leaned on his stomach to allow Hao to do it.

"Now it's my turn, please turn around" The fox enjoyed being washed by Shifu, without letting his master know; he lazed his tail with Shifu's tail but released it when Shifu started to wash Hao's feet, the fox did the same for his master. When the time to get outside came, both did it at the same time and talked a bit more before getting dressed.

Later that day, Po finally arrived and was received by Hao, who jumped to his arms "How was your mission? Please, tell me everything"

"It was awesome! Those bandits weren't rivals for the Dragon Warrior!" Po said in an excited voice. That night Shifu went to sleep earlier and Po was almost asleep when Hao knocked

"Po, can I enter?" The panda opened the door

He sat on the floor while Po sat on his bed "What is it? Is something bothering you?"

"Well..." Hao grabbed his tail and hugged it

"Please, tell me; you know you can tell me anything"

"I... I fell in love with Shifu"


End file.
